Enlarge /. The headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is located in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday March 14, 2020.
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After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were muted, incapacitated and demoted by the Trump administration, they are reportedly wallowing in transition to the Biden administration and seeing a big comeback amid the still roaring coronavirus pandemic.
"This is what we've been waiting for," an unnamed senior CDC official told CNN on Tuesday following the General Services Administration's finding. During the transition, senior officials are keen to have Biden's people "send their landing team over here and start a business."
When asked if Tuesday's news would improve the mood among other executives at the agency, the officer firmly replied, "Yes!" Senior executives expect the transition to "rebuild the agency," added the official
While rebuilding is standard with every transition to some extent, the CDC has plenty of reason to recover after the Trump era. The government has spent the pandemic censoring CDC officials and nearly ending the one-time regular press conferences held by officials from the agency. The Trump-appointed people also meddled in the agency's scientific reports and watered down critical public health guidelines to help us overcome the worst public health crisis of our time. Perhaps the most prominent example of administration interference was alarming changes to the agency's guidelines on COVID-19 testing and the school reopening.
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Despite the CDC's diminished reputation, a federal health official told CNN that the agency had continued its diligent work on public health in the background, including monitoring schools amid the pandemic.
"The CDC continues to analyze school data and will refine or build upon the guidelines for schools as necessary," the official said.
Like the CDC official, the federal health officer also noted that the Biden transition has increased excitement for the agency. When asked if the CDC will return to a more visible role in the pandemic response, the official said, "Man, man, I hope so."
In what is currently a rare press conference last week, a CDC official told reporters, "We are delighted to hold this press conference. I want these briefings to be regular."
